The Glass Fire is now the most devastating fire for Napa Valley wineries. Close to 20 have suffered damage or been destroyed.
One hard hit area was Spring Mountain above St. Helena, home to small family wineries. But Barnett Vineyards is mostly still standing after family and workers pitched in to save the winery and home.
The winery stands 2,000 feet up Spring Mountain, and the back of the Spanish tile-roofed family home provides an unobstructed 180 degree view of the valley. From there, you could see the fire coming from Bothe Napa Valley State Park.
“We all came back from the city, and then everybody that works with us came up here to fight the fire,” said owner Fiona Barnett. “And so everybody was fighting it for two days, constantly.”
The winery has a 10,000-gallon water tank that was installed as a fire prevention measure.
“The first thing that happened, unfortunately, was some of the pipes melted and drained that 10,000-gallon tank so it was bone dry,” said David Tate, winemaker and general manager. “So all we had was the pool.”
That pool ended up serving as their main water supply. The team used a back road to circumvent road blocks so they could get the necessary equipment, water and chain saws. They even established a night watch.
"So everybody had an hour that they would have to get up and walk around the whole perimeter and check for spot fires,” said Barnett.
They were prepared for power shutoffs with a backup generator, but then the propane ran low.
"We were able to get the propane truck to come up and fill up the propane that powered the generator and powered the well,” said Barnett.
And all that preparation and dedication ended up paying off. While the outdoor tasting deck was mostly destroyed and they lost half of their cabernet grapes, the main building and family home were saved.
“Just amazing that all the employees wanted to get up here and get right at the fire,” said Tate. “It was pretty amazing."
Barnett hopes to welcome guests back within weeks, and have the tasting deck rebuilt in time for the holidays.
"The worst thing that can happen to the Napa Valley right now is for people to say that they are not going to come to visit,” she said.
“I think the best way to support wineries that are affected and have been affected is to support the wine industry by buying those wineries’ wines and coming and visiting us,” said Tate. “You can see the view; it’s just absolutely stunning up here.”